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Barry Bonds: Villain or Victim?

August 8, 2007

First some salient facts.

I have been a Dodgers fan since I was a kid. I bleed Dodger blue.
I have a real reverence for the game of baseball.
I believe that Barry Bonds used/uses steroids.
I'm disappointed that he's tainting the game.
I'd never been to Dodgers Stadium before.

So last Thursday night was a big deal for me. My first Dodgers home game. Accidentally, it was a big deal for baseball too. Barry Bonds going for the home run that would tie Hank Aaron's record. The game was sold out.

Before the game, I was adamant. My biggest hope was that Bonds did not hit his home run during MY Dodgers game. I didn't want it to taint the experience.

We had amazing seats. One row off the field, half-way between left field and third base. You couldn't ask for better. It started the top of the 1st inning. When Bonds came up to bat — the crowd booed and hissed. Not very sportsmanlike, but I understood their sentiment.

Bottom of the first, Bonds trots out to left field and the taunting got even worse. It was relentless and stupid. And with every inning (and no doubt, with every beer) it got louder and more obnoxious. Every time he made a catch, they screamed. When he waited for the batter to swing, they jeered. When he warmed up, they chanted obscenities.

And a very strange thing happened. I started to feel sorry for Barry Bonds. Did he bring it on himself? Yes. Do I think he cheated? Yes. Did I wish he wasn't breaking the record? Yes.

But, did he deserve to be screamed at while he tried to do his job? No. Did he deserve the racial slurs? No. Were the guys shouting at him insulting the game too? Yes.

There's an important lesson in this for all of us. It's easy to portray the competition as the villain. But that's a very fine line to walk. Comparisons are fine. But taking a shot that really hits below the belt can quickly transform your competition from villain to victim. Which turns you from hero to bully. Bashing the competition is never going to serve you, long-term.

All of a sudden you can shift the balance and once you don the black hat, it's pretty tough to take it off.

A side note: Barry Bonds broke the record tonight. While I have more empathy for the situation he behaved himself into, I can't say I cheered as he waved to the crowd. But I didn't boo either.

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BrandingWire: Auto Dealers

August 6, 2007

This month's BrandingWire challenge was local auto dealers. I'm anxious to read what my colleagues have to say on this one. As you'll read, I think the situation is beyond what marketing alone can heal.

I'm usually the first guy who will champion a concentrated, consistent effort to re-brand or re-market a company that has gone astray. But I have to tell you, I don't think auto dealerships stand a chance.

Why not?

Way too many years of high-pressure sales, the goofy "I have to go talk to my manager" game, selling vaporware in the form of extended warranties and in general sleazy tactics and employees.

Bottom line – we don't trust you. Any time someone walks into a car dealership, they expect to be tricked and taken.

Here's a marketing/branding truth. Without trust, you've got nothing.

No marketing program or branding campaign can save you or change the fact that on just about any survey given, cars sales people rank as the least trustworthy profession.

There are just some things marketing can't solve. This is an operations issue. Saturn had the right idea. They changed the way cars were sold.

The internet has stripped you of much of your mystique and ability to con buyers. But instead of recognizing that it's a new day, you've just clung even tighter to the tactics that still work. It's time to actually change.

People need cars. They have to buy them somewhere. So be the first one in your community to truly change the way you do business. I'm not talking about a superficial change. Or a bait and switch sort of change. Because that's what we expect. So surprise us. This isn't spin; this is revolutionizing your industry.

Be transparent with your costs. Show us the invoice because anything less and we won't believe you.

Set a standard mark-up for every vehicle on your lot. We don't deny you need to make money. We just want it to be fully disclosed and fair.

Stop compensating your sales force with commission. Pay them a flat fee for every car sale. As long as they are paid more to trick us into paying more – we can't win.

No dickering, dealing or game playing. Set a price and live with it.

Use an independent source for trade-in values. Nothing you can do here is going to make us feel like we got a fair deal. So pay some of the area's auto repair shops that have a strong local reputation a flat fee for assessing trade in values.

Let us take any used car off the lot and have it evaluated by an independent expert. If we choose to buy the car, reimburse us for the evaluation.

Right now, every facet of your business is set up to make the buying experience an adversarial one. Until that changes, nothing else really can.

Be the first to re-invent how your industry gets compensated and then celebrate that. Go out of your way to make sure the consumer gets the best deal possible and then celebrate that. Turn your sales force into customer advocates and then celebrate that.

Own the brand position of being different from every other car dealership out there and you will have more customers than you can handle. Otherwise…just run another Summer Sizzlin' Sales campaign and it's business as usual.

Until your competition decides that they're the ones who are going to actually change.

Check out what the rest of the BrandingWire posse had to say and get more high-voltage ideas at BrandingWire.com.

Olivier Blanchard
Becky Carroll
Derrick Daye
Kevin Dugan
Lewis Green
Ann Handley
Gavin Heaton
Martin Jelsema
Valeria Maltoni
Drew McLellan
Patrick Schaber
Steve Woodruff

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Have a hero’s heart — don’t overthink, just act

August 5, 2007

Cam Beck (ChaosScenario) has a very thoughtful post about the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis and the heroism that emerged. For him, it served as a reminder that as marketers, we sometimes go for the cheap pay off, rather than honoring the best of what humans can be.

In my comment, I made this observation. I think in moments of crisis (Mpls, 9-11, house fires) human beings don't think– they just react. And they react from a place very deep inside of them. Their true self. Their heart of hearts. And that's how ordinary people suddenly become heroes. Because they don't have time to talk themselves out of doing what is right and good.

I'm not just waxing poetic here. I think there is a rock solid marketing message in there. You know when companies mess up? When they over-think a decision. When they override their own instincts. When they suddenly worry if they're going to get into trouble. Let me give you an example.

We recently won a new client who told me an all too familiar story. They had a problem arise in their place of business and got some bad press coverage from it. Their first instinct was to have the CEO serve as the spokesperson and deal with the issue frankly and openly.

But, then they thought about it. And got some very bad advice from a PR professional who said the CEO should not be in any way tainted by being associated with this bad event.

What a crock. If they had trusted their gut and done what they knew was authentic to them — the storm would have passed quickly and been seen for what it was.

But instead, they over-thought the decision and made a complete mess of it. Because they ignored what their heart was telling them.

If you and your employees truly understand your organization's soul — you know what to do. In every situation. Stay true to that and be your company's hero. Don't think it to death. Don't wait for it to be perfect. Just listen to the company's heart and act.

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How to write an outstanding blog post

August 4, 2007

Late this Spring, Liz Strauss tagged me, asking what makes an outstanding blog post and I've been letting my answer cook until now. Which is a fancy way of saying…I'm finally getting to it.

Maybe it took me this long because I'm not sure I have the answer for this one. Honestly, some of the posts that I still love the most and touch my heart are ones that you hardly noticed. And sometimes a post that I think is just okay draws a huge response.

So clearly, I haven't a clue.

But…I have recognized some patterns. Maybe there's a hint or two in them for all of us.

It's all about you.

The best blog posts are reader centric. They respect your intelligence, your time and your need for something fresh and different. Rather than being intent on teaching you something new, they are intent on generating a conversation by acknowledging that we both have something to say on the subject, whatever it may be.

It's not all about you.

When I first started blogging, I fully intended to offer tips and commentary on the world of marketing and branding. I didn't plan to share or show you my heart. After all, this is a business blog. But, I discovered that when you write every day, you can't really avoid that. And that's when people beyond my parents and my employees started reading my blog. So, while it can mostly be about you. It actually has to be about me too. Sort of like a conversation perhaps?

I'm not you.

Some days, I find the blogosphere pretty intimidating. I read all these smart and insightful things and wonder…what the heck am I doing at this party? Thank God I am smart enough to know that I will never be as sassy as CK or as poetic as Gavin or eloquent as Liz or helpful as Mike or inspiring as Christine or as prolific as Lewis. My blog is never going to look like David's or have a subscription list like John's. I can't draw like Tony, share wry observations like Cam or connect people like Phil. And I sure can't cuss like Paul. And that just scratches the surface of the bloggers I admire and wish I could be more like.

And to try would only serve to embarrass myself. Like it or not, I've got to work with my talents or you'd recognize me as a fake and rightfully call me on it. So I offer up what I've learned over the years, in my own native voice and hope that it will resonate with you.

I only come back because of you.

Talking to myself every day would bore me to tears. I love to write but I really love the conversation. I think the biggest tragedy of blogging is that most people read the posts and never dig into the comments. That' s where the real meat is. I can serve up a topic but I promise you, the real "a ha" comes in the interaction below the surface of the original post.

So back to Liz' question. What makes a great post?

I think, for me anyway, my posts stretch towards greatness when I draw the outline of the picture and then you color it in. When I don't know all the answers, but I have a pretty good idea of the questions. When I don't think too long or too hard, but instead just toss it out there. When I don't worry about how pretty the words sound, but instead enjoy your words. My best posts are when I look around the room, marvel at the interesting people gathered and just pull up a chair.

So in the end…it seems that what makes an outstanding post for me….is you.

How about you? If you're a blogger – how/when do you create an outstanding post? And if you're a reader, what makes a post noteworthy to you?

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Is your elevator speech a what or a why?

August 3, 2007

When you have 30 seconds to introduce yourself, if you are like most people you say your name and then identify what you do.

You know…"hi, I'm Drew McLellan. I work at a marketing communications agency."

Yawn.

Listen to how different and how much more relevant this sounds when I focus on the why:

"Hi, I'm Drew McLellan. We help clients discover their story so they can create love affairs with their customers."

Which one do you think would stimulate more conversation and interest on the part of the person I'm meeting?

What could your elevator speech be if you focused on the why?

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The envelope please…

August 2, 2007

Believe it or not…there are books written about the variety of envelopes. And they have huge glossaries of envelope terms. As I flipped through them, I realized that some were new to me, so I thought you might like to bone up on your envelope knowledge.

B.R.E. (I started with an easy one): Business Reply Envelope. This usually has a first class permit, indicia and return address pre-printed on envelope.

Flush cut: to cut flush means to cut the top flap off the envelope.

Point: A unit of thickness equal to 1/1000 of an inch.

Blank: Paper stock that is die cut into appropriate envelope shape. When folded and glued, it becomes an envelope.

McIntyre Corners: Predominantly found in booklet style envelopes. Notches are made at the top of the two side seam shoulders to facilitate automatic insertion.

Thumb cut: A notched opening to allow easy access to contents.

Think about it….if you are sending a direct mail piece…why not improve the odds of your piece getting opened by doing something interesting with the envelope?

What have you done with the packaging of a direct mail piece to get your audience's attention?

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Do you market to your own employees?

August 1, 2007

John Moore over at Brand Autopsy talks about the incredible marketing value that Apple generated when they gave every one of their employees a new iPhone. No argument from me there.

But what do you do when you're not Apple and you can't pop for a $600 phone for every team member? Most companies don't do anything. Big mistake.

Read about how one marketer made sure his employees felt appreciated in a way that any business can afford and do.

And yes, the photo is a hint.

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Tag…I’ve been tagged with the tagline meme!

July 31, 2007

Ahh, personal branding with a whole new twist. Leave it up to that creative rapscallion Cam Beck from ChaosScenario. He has started a new meme and we get to play along.

Here's how it works:

You select five bloggers and give them a fitting tagline. What's the path that led here? Cam got Lewis Green, who got me. So here are my tags, complete with my take on their tag.

(I'm pretty sure if you've already been tagged, you're on a safe base and don't have to be "it" again!)

CK (CK's blog): Queen of Hearts
David Armano (Logic + Emotion): User Friendly
Gavin Heaton (Servant of Chaos): Idea Poet
Todd And (Todd Add): Make it Measurable
David Reich (My 2 cents): A Bargain at Twice the Price

Feel free to join in and play along. What would you want your tagline to reflect?

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Beating Writers Block

July 31, 2007

We all experience writers block now and then. Here are some tips for breaking through a block and getting the job done that seem to work for me.

~ Start in the middle. Write your intro last, so you’ll know just what you want to emphasize.

~ Just write. No matter how rough or bad you think it is. Just get something down on paper. That leads right into tip #3.

~ Editing is easier than writing. Go through your rough copy and circle what you like and keep going. It’s much easier to rewrite than it is to start from scratch.

~ Think out loud. Work through your ideas with a co-worker. Words flow easier in conversation. And their feedback might give you a new perspective.

Most of us don’t have the luxury of waiting for the muses to strike. Check out this laundry list of other good ideas from Maartje Van Hoorn at Behind the Page.

Can you add to the lists? When you just can't seem to string two sentences together — what do you do?

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What marketing advice would you pack into a solo sentence?

July 30, 2007

You've got a lifetime of marketing smarts. You're asked for your best bit of wisdom. You take a deep breath because you've got a lot to say.

Whoa there.

Do it in a sentence.

That was the request that Matt McDonald made of me and some other marketing bloggers. Before you hit the link and see what Seth, Guy and some others had to say — answer it here for all of us.

In a single sentence — what's your best dose of marketing wisdom?

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